Phonographic record.



I. PHONOGEAPEIG RECORD.

APPLIGATION FILED 3111 12, 1911.

" To all whom it may concern:

UNITED siracrns Parasitic ornion.

ISIDOR KI'I'SEE, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOBTO THE CORT-KITSEE (30., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

rrroivoenarnic nnconn:

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. '3, 1913.

Be it known that I, Ismon Krrsnn, citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and'useful Improvements in Phonographic Records, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in phonographic records.

The invention may be practised with records of different types, but I will here describe the same as being adapted to the disk type and wherein the lines of record are tracedon such disk, the undulations representing the sound waves.

For the purpose of my invention, it is immaterial if the disk is covered with an etch-resisting material and the lines traced by exposing the underlying metal, or if the lines of record are traced with an etch-resisting material on the surface of a material adapted to be etched. But I will here describe my invention as being applied to a record in the shape of a disk consisting of an etchable. material, such as metal, and on which the lines of record are traced with an etch resisting fluid, such for instance as, dissolved resin, etc.

In the production of sound records for commercial use, itwas found that the original record could only be etched a very minute depth if copies therefrom should be taken, for the reason that during the proc ess of etching, the acid attacks the metal not only vertically but also horizontally in all directions and, therefore, instead of having a groove with perpendicular or parallel sides, these grooves are under cut, so to speak, that is, they branch out and produce a wedge-shaped space with inclined sides. An original with shallow grooves produces copies with shallow indentations and the stylus, therefore, running in these shallow indentations or grooves cannot exert strong pressure on the diaphragm in accordance with the undulations of the grooves and the end of the stylus has to be of such thinness that a frequent change is necessary. Some manufacturers have, for this reason, abandoned the etching process and substitutedtherefor an electroplating process,

but this process does not overcome theshallowness of the grooves and is therefore, in this respect as defective as the etching process. v r

It is the aim of my invention to overcome this difiiculty and to produce sound records in which the lines of record are of required depth.

For the purpose of illustrating one form my invention may take, I have reference to the accompanying drawing.

In this drawing; Figure 1 is a plan view of part of a plate or disk provided with the lines of record; Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of Fig. 1 showing the lines of record in relief; Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the material etched out between the lines of record; Fig.- 4 is a similar view as Fig. 3 showing the'lines of record with a new surface or plate: Fig. 5 IS a similar view as Fig. 4 showing the original support removed and Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a commercial record as formed or molded from the master record. All of these views are. as said above. enlarged so as to clearly bring out the diiferent phases of the process.

In Fig. 1; l is the etchable plate as an entirety, preferably consisting of metal.

such as copper or zinc; 2 are the lines of record consisting of a suitable etch-resisting material; 3 are the spaces between said lines.

In Fig. 2; 1 is the etchable plate as an entirety; 2 are the lines of record; 3 the spaces between said lines. The etchable plate is here shown as to consist of the parts 4 and 5. The part 4 which lies between the lines of record is designed to be etched out in the later processes. and the part 5 is designed to form the base or support for those parts of the plate which arenot removed by the etching process. X is the line showing how far the'plate will be, etched.

In Fig. 3; 1 is the etchahle plate as an entirety; 2 are the lines of record with their metal parts 6: the channels produced through the etching process; 5 the base for the support of those parts of the plate intervening between the channels.

In Fig. 4; 6 are the metal parts of the lines of record; 5 the base thereof; 7 the channels between the lines of record; 8 a

roof or plate for the upper parts of the lines 4 of record, said plate bridging the channels 7 and forming an adherent coat-ing.

In Fig. 5; 8 is the roof or plate; 6 the metal parts of the lines of recordand 7 the channels between same.

Fig. 6 is, as said above, a commercial record or copy of the master record, and in this figure 10 is the record as an entirety, of

which 12 are the depressed lines of record and 13 the spaces between same.

In Figs. 2, 3, l, 5 and 6; Y is a line running vertically at identical places of the rec-' ord to denote the character of these places during the various stages of the process and of the finished article.

The mode of operation is as follows Taking it for granted that a metallic disk is employed and thatfthe phonographic lines are recorded on the surface of the metallic disk with an etch-resisting 'material, the plate with the recorded lines is subjected to the process of etching, whereby the spaces between the lines are etched-out to are quired depth and the lines left in relief, so to-speak.

It is immaterial for the purpose of my invention which. method or process of etching lt is impossible to give here strict rules, be cause different metals require different etching fluids and because, for different purposes, different depths of the etched-in parts are also required. But it'is believed that for usual commercial purposes, a depth of between and 1 g of an inch suffices. Ger tainly, the greater the depth, the farther apart have to be the lines of record, for the reason that the greater the depth, the greater the under-cut and great care has to be taken that in the process of etching, the parts of the plate perpendicular with the lines of record should not be under-cut or eaten away.

- The record, after having left the etching process, is-illustrated in Fig. 3.

When the parts intervening between the record lines have been eaten or etched away the desired depth, then the plate is carefully washed so as to remove all traces of the etching fluid and the surface of the plate cleaned to prepare the same for'the; next step. This next step consists therein that the surface is provided with a roof or support. This ing on a suitable plate of metal, or it may be provided by the process of electroplating. If this latter process is employed, then it is necessary to fill the spaces or channels with a conducting material, such for instance as a very fusible metal or,'as in some cases it is preferred to -do,wax' or parafiin made conducting by a liberal intermixture of car- 'bon and graphite. Care should be taken, if

the wax or paraffin is employed, that no graphite or other foreign substance should cover the metal part to be plated, as otherwise the required adherence of the plate to the metal parts may not be reached.

\Vhen the plate is ready for the electrolytic bath, it is, in the'usual way, made the cathode in an electrolytic apparatus provided with a suitable electrolyte and a suitable anode, a-nd required current passed through the apparatus;

When the deposit has reached the req ired thickness and when, after inspection, the deposit has been found to adhere properly tov the surface of therecord plate, then the same is taken out of the apparatus, carefully washed and subjected to a process whereby the lower part or bottom of the plate is removed.

The following means can be employed Firs-t :-chemical means,by simply etching away the bottom.

Second :-electrical means,- making the plate the anode in an electrolytic apparatus, but if such is the case, all parts have to be carefully insulated with theexception of such parts as are intended to be -removed.

Third :mechanical means,by simply shavingpfl, with the aid of suitable appararatus, the bottom of the plate: This process is, to a certain extent, preferred, for the rea son that the shavingolf by traveling knives is easily accomplished and an art wellknown in metal turning.

After the bottom has been removed, the plate is cleaned of all foreign material, such for instance as the filling formerI' provided by the electrolytic process and with this removal the master record is complete. In producing copies from this master record,

the same is placed upside down, so that the former uppermost part new forms the'lower support and the solid material forming the lines of record is uppermost. In this position, the master recordv represents a lower solid support' and integral therewith the lines of record in relief. When now, a plastic material is pressed into this master reeord, then the lines of record are reproduced in this plastic material in intaglio. The former spaces between the lines of record-are now in relief. Such a copy can be used for commercial purposes to reproduce sound.

v It is obvious that if the'upper support or roof or support may. be provided by. mechanical means, such for instance as solder- I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent is -ti0ns and to form a base for record, and finally removing l. The method ofproducing a phonographic master record, which consists in first recording the sound waves on a suitable plate, removing portions of the plate to define the lines of record, then applying to the plate an adherent coating to bridge the openings formed by the removal of said portions and to provide a base for the completed record, and finally removing the bottom of the plate.

2. The method of producing a phonographic master record, which consists in first recording the sound waves on a suitable plate, subjecting the plate to the action of an etching agent whereby to remove portions of the plate to define the lines of record, then applying to the plate an adherent coating to bridge the etched-out. por-. the completed the bottom of the plate.

3. The method of (producing a phonograp'hic master recor, which consists in first recording the sound waves on a suitable plate, etching out the portions of the plate between the lines of record, then applyingto the plate an adherent bridge theetched-out portions, and finally removing the bottom of the plate,

4:; The method of producing a phonocoating to graphic mastenrecord, which consists in first recording the sound waves on a suitable plate with an etch-resisting material, etching out the portions of the plate between the lines of record, then applying to the plate an adherent coating to bridge the etched-out por' tions and to form a'base for-the completed record, and finally removing the bottom of the plate.

5. The method of producing a phonographic master record, which consists in depositing on a plate, capable of being etched,-lines of record formed of an etchresisting material, subjecting the plate to the action of an etching agent whereby the portions between said record lines are removed, then applying to the plate an adh'er'e'nt coating to bridge over the etched-out portions and finally removing the bottom of the plate.

6. The method of producing a plionographic master record, which consists in first. recording the sound waves on a suit able plate, removing portions of said plate to define the lines of record, then providing the upper surface of said original plate with a permanent cover adapted to serve 'as the base of'thecompleted record and finally 'remov-ingthe bottom oi the original-plate.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ISIDOB KITSEE.

Witnesses: I EDITH R. STILLEY, MARY P. SMITH. 

